Save Halo 2 Petition

[johnrobey]

My fellow gamers and beloved CoH community!  It appears another MMORPG is threatened with shutdown -  and man is my heart going out to them.  I never played Halo 2 and said so in the optional comment box but I also shared there and pleaded for them NOT to do this to their loyal fans and players of Halo 2.
Please consider whether you are willing to lend your signature and support to this:  http://www.change.org/petitions/343-industries-keep-halo-2-pc-online
Many thanks!
John   :'(

[TimtheEnchanter]

Signing.

Though the real question is, will a big stink happen if players create their own servers? AFAIK Halo 2 is technically an FPS not an MMO (unless there's something about the PC version of Halo 2 I don't know about), and I've never heard of anyone giving a darn when official FPS servers die and private ones spring up.

[Knight Light]

I actually kind of really don't like the Xbox in general and have never had even the slightest interest in the Halo series.

Of course, I know what it is to lose your home, your love and your playground as a result of the stupidest, most evil thing in the universe; "a business decision".

Signed.

[johnrobey]

I have no clue about this, but thanks, Tim :)

[TimtheEnchanter]

The first Halo was quite a game changer for FPS's. The game has merit. It also set off one of the greatest Machinima series ever, Red vs. Blue.

[Ironwolf]

Signed and wrote:

I am a City of Heroes player and know what it is like to lose your home.

[The Fifth Horseman]

The petition is kind of late... Halo 2's XBL servers were taken down a year or two ago.  :-\

[FlyingCarcass]

It's in regards to the PC version's master server going down. According to 343, over recent months the peak number of concurrent players was around 20. Folks will still be able to play Halo 2's campaign and lan.
http://www.gamespot.com/halo-2/videos/gs-news-halo-2-pc-going-offline-next-month-6402606/

On a side note, I just checked Halo 1's (PC version) server list and there were 370 folks online in the regular game and 140 online in custom edition (custom edition is what's used to run custom halo maps and mods).

[Kistulot]

Halo did a lot of things that were neat even if its one of the console games that nudged PC games out of having infinitely sized arsenals. Grumble.

I admit, I never was as big of a fan of Halo 2. Just couldn't get into it. That said, I signed it when the email from move on or wherever hit my email. Gamers... UNITE! Form of... people who dont like things shut down...

[TimtheEnchanter]

After reading more about how Halo 2 is run, this seems like a huge over-reaction. Apparently players are already allowed to host their own Halo 2 servers. The only thing they're losing is the master server that allows them to select from a list of game servers. So this is, at most, an inconvenience and hardly a game killer. One that can easily be fixed by a couple of hotshot coders. Maybe there's a concern that a crackdown would occur over a privately-run master server, but since players can already host their own game servers, I find the odds of that highly unlikely.

[Kaiser Tarantula]

Moreover, unlike us, Halo 2 players don't lose their entire game when the master servers shut down.  They just have to either play the single-player campaign (which I can understand how that gets old after the umptieth time), or play on privately-hosted servers.

It's an inconvenience, but not the kind of disaster it's being made out to be.  Besides, I find it kinda hard to like halo considering it popularized at least two of the things I despise about modern FPS games.  Namely, regenerating health, and limited arsenals.  That said, I might still sign the petition, simply out of solidarity for those losing an aspect of a multiplayer game they love.

[TimtheEnchanter]

Namely, regenerating health, and limited arsenals.

On the other hand, I absolutely loved being able to toss grenades without having to switch from a gun.

[Tenzhi]

AFAIK Halo 2 is technically an FPS not an MMO (unless there's something about the PC version of Halo 2 I don't know about)

Technically it *could* be an MMOFPS.  But it *is* an FPS rather than an RPG, and while it may be Multiplayer Online I certainly wouldn't say it was Massively so.  And out of all the Halo games I've played, Halo 2 is the only one I didn't finish because I hated it.

[Kaiser Tarantula]

On the other hand, I absolutely loved being able to toss grenades without having to switch from a gun.

Eh, plenty of old FPS games had a dedicated "grenade key" that allowed you to throw a 'nade without switching to it.  I distinctly remember having one in Duke Nukem 3D for pipebombs.